Can some member of this forum highlight the strengths and weakness of the various sea water intake options and its limitations? 1. Beach well 2....

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Can some member of this forum highlight the strengths and weakness of the various sea water intake options and its limitations? 1. Beach well 2. Infiltration galleries. 3. Intake through a long pipeline with velocity cap at the intake end. Regards R.S.Kumar

2 Comments

  1. Dear Mr Kumar, If you communicate approx. requirements of the project and site details, I can analyse and recommend the best and cost effective economic option but the third option is recommendable under all circumstances...only thing remaining is the recommendable point of Intake and recommendable marine outfall point. Only in certain geological conditions, Beach well and in certain other conditions, Infiltration Galleries can also work but Intake and outfall piping may be cost effective economic life cycle costing basis..Best Lokesh Punj ( lok.punj@gmail.com)

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    1. Thanks Mr. Lokesh Punj. I have a site in mind at Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, where I have been involved for sea water withdrawal of about 36,000 cubic meters /Hr for a major power project which was successfully commissioned with three streams of 1600 mm HDPE pipeline going down till -6m CD and each fitted with individual velocity caps. We designed a suitable desilting chamber with intake channels on the shore front, to reduce carry forward of suspended matter. I have yet another project in the paper stage which warrants only 10 MLD of sea water for RO thus necessitating withdrawal of about 30 MLD sea water for a 10 MLD conversion. The idea is to to work out a 630 mm pipeline in HDPE till -6 M CD contour or alternatively have 3-5 beach wells to cater this demand. As you are aware the challenges of getting a statutory clearance from MoEF is significantly tedious with the beach well option, I am toying with the idea of techno economic feasibility between piped system and beach wells. The significant challenge especially is the peculiar formation of biofouling or barnacles which are a major hurdle especially in the Southeast Coast of India (Bay of Bengal). For the 1600 mm piping project for power plant we had to identify an underwater pigging mechanism with technology from USA and engineering from Norway, which is effective but is highly expensive.
      The 10 MLD project being smaller I am trying to figure out a way of mitigating biofouling. If you have any information on the same with the periodicity of O&M please let me know.Best RegardsR.S.Kumarkumarrs2000@gmail.comMob: 99400 57449.

  2. Dear Mr. Kumar, please check out the following article http://www.waterworld.com/articles/wwi/print/volume-19/issue-4/editorial-focus/beach-wellsbrvsbropen-surface-intake.html which compares intake wells to open intakes.

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    1. Thanks Mr. Nikolay Voutchkov, for the impressive project identification. My impressions were also the same. However the Indian coasts presents a statutory & technical challenges (especially the Southern coasts of India) where huge quantities of water is required and even beach well seawater presents the challenge of biofouling.